The Pakis­tan Tele­communication Authority (PTA) has conceded that the Ministry of Interior had issued instru­c­tions to suspend mobile phone services on Feb 8, the polling day.

In its reply submitted before a Sindh High Court (SHC) bench on Tuesday, the authority asserted that it was bound to follow the directions of the interior ministry and was merely the implementing agency.

A two-judge SHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, was hearing identical petitions filed against the suspension of mobile internet and broadband services and the outage of X/Twitter.

PTA stated that it passed on the instruction of the operators to suspe­nd cellular data and call services across the country (except Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir) at 5:39am on the polling day.

They were instructed to resume the services on the ministry’s directives around 24 hours later. PTA pleaded that the ministry “acts on behalf of the government” and iss­ues directions for the closure of network services.

Read more here.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.